Health service ‘heading for collapse’

The Irish Medical Organisation has warned that the health service will collapse “from the inside” and patients will suffer because of a shortage of consultants.

A statement issued by IMO committees representing consultants and non-consultant hospital doctors has blamed Government policy for driving consultants away from the health service.

“Consultants are being driven away by uncompetitive pay scales on the one hand, and by a hostile, chaotic, working environment on the other,” the two committees stated.

“If we lose our consultant base, the health service will start collapsing from the inside and patients will suffer,” they warned.

Health Minister James Reilly and the HSE are considering paying newly-appointed hospital consultants more money because of the failure to fill key posts.

Dr Reilly wants health service managers to draw up proposals in the area in a matter of weeks.

Secretary general of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, Martin Varley, said on Monday there was huge concern in hospitals where posts could not be filled.

Chairman of the IMO’s consultant committee, Prof Trevor Duffy, said the system was breaking down and consultants were voting with their feet.

Chairman of the IMO’s non-consultant hospital doctors’ committee, Dr John Donnellan, said the Government was asking non-consultant hospital doctors to work in chaotic circumstances without competitive packages and they were refusing.

Prof Duffy said there was a mechanism within the Haddington Road Agreement which the IMO would engage with in order to alleviate the crisis and plan for the future.

Waiting lists

Health Minister James Reilly said a major drop in the number of people waiting more than a year for an outpatient appointment had been achieved.

Dr Reilly told the Dáil that while 103,433 people had been waiting more than a year for such an appointment in Mar 2013, by December last year this had fallen to 4,628.

“The reduction by 95% in the numbers on the list over 12 months represents real progress in our health system,” the minister said.

Dr Reilly said the figures showed the health service was not in chaos as was claimed.

The move came as Fianna Fáil attacked the Coalition for its handling of the HSE.